NED Grantee Becomes First Lower-Caste Woman Elected to Senate in Pakistan
In a groundbreaking moment for women and minorities in Pakistan, Krishna Kumari became the first lower-caste Hindu woman elected to the Senate in Pakistan on March 3, 2018. Kumari is chairperson and project director of Development, Awareness and Management of Natural Resources (DAMAN).
March 6.– A Hindu woman from a lower caste has been elected to the Senate for the first time in Pakistan, a 
Muslim-majority country where religious minorities have long suffered intimidation and violence. Her election to the upper house of Parliament is being hailed as a landmark moment for the country’s generally oppressed religious minorities, especially Hindus, The New York Times reports:
The woman, Krishna Kumari, 39, a human rights activist and member of the Pakistan Peoples Party, was elected as a senator over the weekend. The governing party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, emerged as the largest party in Saturday’s Senate elections, ahead of the Pakistan Peoples Party.
“I feel delighted, this was unthinkable for me to reach the senate,” Kumari told The Associated Press:
Kumari, who was born and raised in a remote district, attributed her success to her parents, who encouraged her to pursue her education and eventually helped her to earn a university degree. She later worked for a non-governmental organization before joining the Pakistan People’s Party of slain former prime minister Benazir Bhutto. The party nominated her for a seat reserved for minority candidates from the Sindh province, where it holds a majority ...
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